Here To Stay
by AnimeKami1997
Summary: Rukia is sent to stay with Ichigo to protect him and his family until he regains his reiatsu.
1. Chapter 1

_**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**This story takes place during the time that Ichigo lost his Shinigami powers. **_

_**Here To Stay**_

_**Chapter One**_

Rukia sighed. It had been a very long day for her; she had to deal with the usual hollow slaying, which was made a hell of a lot harder now that Ichigo had lost his powers as a Soul Reaper during his fight with Aizen.

However, she had also recently been assigned to watch over Ichigo and his family until Ichigo regained his reiatsu.

Rukia figured that it was the Captain Commander's way of thanking Ichigo for all that he had done for the Soul Society. "But still... That doesn't change the fact that I am the one having to do the 'thanking' to the damn Strawberry!" Rukia thought aloud.

Just then, said 'Strawberry' entered the small, cozy area that was his room. He came in and flopped down onto his bed, releasing a long, exhausted sigh. "Tired, huh? So how is your 'normal life' going?" Rukia said.

If Ichigo hadn't already known Rukia was there, he might have had a heart attack and died right there. "DAMN IT, MIDGET! You scared the hell out of me!" Ichigo hollered.

Rukia's eyes flashed with anger at the remark Ichigo had made about her size, resulting in a very sore shin on Ichigo's part. "I thought I told you not to call me that!" Rukia yelled.

Just then, a certain black-haired man appeared in the room. "So when can I start expecting some grandchildren?" Said the man, known Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father. However, Isshin found no answer other than two fists headed straight for his face.

Immediately, Isshin reappeared in front of his beloved picture of his late wife, Masaki, with fake tears streaming down his face, asking the portrait why his children were so abusive.

Suddenly, Rukia began laughing. She realized that no matter how much she tried to deny it, she had always felt a sense of belonging in the Kurosaki household. With Yuzu, Karin, Isshin...

And especially Ichigo. She felt like she and Ichigo had a special connection. That they belonged together, and nothing could tear them apart.

**So**_**. Not bad for my first chapter of my first story, eh? I should have the next chapter up in a few days. If not, it's because school is starting next week -_- Haha but I hope you enjoyed the story, and make sure you review! Thanks a lot, and hopefully I'll see you next chapter!(:**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**HERE TO STAY **_

_**CHAPTER TWO**_

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed. "To hell with this tie!"

"What's your problem, Strawberry?" Rukia asked, as she entered Ichigo's room. "Don't call me that! And I have a job interview today, but I can't get my damn tie tied!" Ichigo replied, angrily.

"Here, let me help you." Rukia offered, walking closer to Ichigo to help solve his tie-tying dilemna.

But before Ichigo could reply, Rukia already had the tie tied and set for him.

"Rukia..." The short shinigami in question gave Ichigo a questioning look.

"Thanks, midget." Suddenly, Ichigo had a foot headed straight for his face.

If it hadn't been for his time fighting as a shinigami, he might have had his head kicked off.

"Damn you, Ichigo! I told you not to call me that!" Rukia cried. "What the hell, midget!" Ichigo said. "You could have killed me!"

"Oh, stop being a weakling," Rukia said.

Ichigo was about to reply, but then Rukia's face suddenly got serious. He figured it was a hollow, and he must have been right because she popped a soul candy into her mouth.

Ichigo watched as her body jerked backwards, and her personality changed into the hell bunny known as Chappy. Ichigo honestly never could figure out why anyone in the Soul Society would want THAT as their soul candy.

But he didn't have time to ponder that; he had to leave, too. He needed this job, so he could pay for college, where he would soon be headed. He had his application put in, now all he had to do was hope that they would hire him.

"Goodbye, Rukia-sama!" Chappy exclaimed. She then turned to Ichigo and said, " Why are you so dressed up Ichigo-sama? Where are you going, on a date?" "No, Chappy. I have a job interview." Ichigo responded.

"Aw, man. Then what am I supposed to do?" Chappy complained. "I don't care. Go play with Kon or something," Ichigo said, aggravated that she was holding him up.

Now that he thought about it, hadn't seen the stuffed lion Mod Soul all day. Oh well. Ichigo was sure he would turn up sooner or later.

But that didn't matter; Ichigo had to go. Grabbing his car keys off of his dresser, Ichigo went downstairs, saying goodbye to his sisters, who wished him good luck.

He left out the front door, leaving Isshin to cry fake tears to his poster of his beloved wife, about their son getting his first job.

Ichigo wished himself luck one last time, as he pulled out of the driveway of the Kurosaki Clinic, and started the drive to his job interview.

_**So, what did you think? Fortunately for you, I had nothing to do today, so I uploaded another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll have the next chapter up ASAP, so make sure to check for it. Don't forget to review, and I'll see you next chapter!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. **_

_**Here To Stay**_

_**Chapter Three**_

"So. You're Ichigo Kurosaki. Well Kurosaki, we may be a little short-handed around here, but you still need to prove you want this job," said the woman who had introduced herself as Ikumi Unagiya.

"And how would I do that?" Ichigo inquired.

"As you already know, this business is all about side jobs," said Unagiya.

"Yeah, I know that," Ichigo said. "Why?"

"Because I have to run a few errands tomorrow, so I am going to need you to babysit my son while I am gone," Unagiya replied.

"I'll do it," said Ichigo. " Wait. YOU have a son?"

"Are you trying to say something, Kurosaki?" the woman asked, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Oh, no. No-OOAAHHHH!" Ichigo started to answer, but was kicked in the face by Unagiya's son, Kaoru Unagiya.

"DON'T SAY MEAN THINGS ABOUT MY MOM, YOU BASTARD!" He yelled. "_KAORU!" _Unagiya yelled. "Watch your mouth!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Kaoru said sheepishly, hanging his head down. "Aww it's okay, Honey. Here let me get you something to eat." Unagiya said. "You need anything, Kurosaki?"

"No, thanks." Ichigo replied, rubbing his cheek where Kaoru had kicked him. He'd have to get the little bastard back for it tomorrow.

"Well, will you watch Kaoru for me?" Unagiya asked.

"Of course," Ichigo replied.

"Great, then. I'll see you tomorrow!" Unagiya said, smiling.

_**Later that day...**_

"So how did your job interview go?" Rukia asked, looking up from one of her manga books to Ichigo, who sat on his bed, also reading a manga.

"Well, I got the job, and I start tomorrow. But my first job is watching her little bastard of a son while she runs a few errands." Replied Ichigo, looking up from his manga.

Amber eyes met violet, and Rukia responded, "Well, it can't be THAT bad."

"You don't even know. Where do you think I got this bruise on my face?" Ichigo responded.

"Aw, he hit you?" Rukia asked in her school-girl voice, knowing it would piss Ichigo off.

Switching back to her superior, Kuchiki princess voice, she followed up her previous statement with, "Man up, Ichigo."

"Shut up, midget. You don't even know how hard this is going to be. This kid is evil!" Ichigo said, scowling at Rukia, who laughed.

"Well, I'm good with kids. Maybe I could help you watch him. I'm sure your boss wouldn't mind extra help," Rukia offered.

"Would you do that? I'd really appreciate the help." Ichigo said

"Great, then. It's a date!" Rukia said, her eyes bright with excitement.

Ichigo was sure Rukia didn't even know what a date was, but he'd explain that later. Right now he was happy that he would have Rukia helping him.

At least now he wouldn't have to do it alone. Now he actually looked forward to spending a little time with Rukia. If only it were just them, though, and not that little devil named Kaoru.

Maybe one day he would take Rukia on a date to show her what it was. After all she was doing for him, she deserved it.

Then it was decided. Ichigo planned on taking her out next Friday.

But he would think about that later. Right now, he had to focus on how the hell he would deal with Kaoru the following day.

If he didn't think if something soon, he'd get kicked in the face AGAIN. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

_**Well, what did you think? I felt inspiration, so I decided upload another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! I will have the next one up tomorrow or maybe even today. Who knows? xD By the way, I want to say thank you to everyone who favorited my story, and gave me reviews. You are my inspiration to keep writing. Anyways, make sure to review, and I'll see you next chapter! (:**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**Here To Stay**_

_**Chapter Four**_

"No! Rukia.. I couldn't save everyone... Aizen.." Ichigo said in his sleep. Rukia heard him and made her way to his bedside.

"You defeated Aizen. You did it. You DID save everyone." Rukia said in an attempt to comfort Ichigo.

"Rukia..." said Ichigo. "I'm here, Ichigo. It's okay.. Everything's okay," she said, rubbing Ichigo's shoulder. Suddenly, she felt an arm grab her and pull her in close.

"Ichigo...!" Rukia said, startled at Ichigo's sudden action. Realizing that he was sleeping, she relaxed. "Don't go, Rukia..." he said, sleepily.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ichigo," she said, climbing into the bed. "I'm not going anywhere."

The next morning, Ichigo woke up in a cold sweat. He had been having nightmares ever since his mother died, but last night's was especially terrifying.

Then, he sensed a presence on the bed next to him. He looked over and saw Rukia, asleep, next to him. Part of him wanted to wake her up and ask her what the hell she was doing in his bed.

But another part of him wanted to just watch her. _She's so beautiful when she's asleep, _Ichigo thought. He could watch her sleep all day.

That's when he looked at his alarm clock. _12:02, _it read. "SHIT!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I gotta go!"

Looking at the sleeping girl next to him, he shook her shoulder. "Wake up, Midget. We're gonna be late if we don't hurry," he said.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Smiling, she sat up and stretched.

_Well THAT was strange, _Ichigo thought. _She's usually grouchy as hell in the morning._ _Who knows? Maybe she just got a good night's sleep last night._

"I know, Ichigo," Rukia said, sleepily.

"By the way, midget,"Ichigo started. "Why were you sleeping in my bed?" "Because you were having nightmares," she answered, as she stood up and went over to the closet to get dressed. "What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, changing his shirt.

"You were having a bad dream, and when I went over to your bed to try and calm you down, you pulled me into your arms and told me not to go. What else was I supposed to do?" Rukia replied, blushing.

Embarassed at the actions he had supposedly made, Ichigo quickly said, "Oh," and turned to leave the room. Stopping at the door, Ichigo said, "Thank you, midget."

"For what?" Came the reply. "For being there."

_**Later that day...**_

"Well, well, well, Kurosaki. I didn't know you had a girlfriend!" Said Ichigo's boss, Ikumi Unagiya. Ichigo felt his face turn dark red, and he was about to explain that Rukia wasn't his girlfriend.

But before he could, Unagiya started telling them that she would be gone for three hours. She then turned to Kaoru, her son, and told him to behave himself. Giving her a reply of "Yes, Mommy," and heading inside, Unagiya told Ichigo and Rukia goodbye and went on her way.

_Three hours? _Ichigo thought. _This is going to suck!_ A high-pitched, annoying voice pulled Ichigo from his thoughts. "Hey, idiot! I'm talking to you!"

Turning to see that the voice belonged to Kaoru, Ichigo asked, "What did you say, kid?" "Don't call me that! And I asked how a guy like YOU could get a girl like HER?" Kaoru responded.

"Who? You mean Rukia?" Ichigo asked. "Yeah, her," came the reply. "Well, kid, I've known her for a long time. I met her when she saved my life, and we've been friends ever since." Ichigo said.

"So she's not your girlfriend?" Kaoru asked, a look of confusion on his face. "No, not quite." Ichigo answered.

"What are you guys talking about?" Rukia asked, in her false sweet voice. "Uh-just sports and stuff like that," Ichigo lied. "No, we were-OOF! Hey! What was that for?!" Kaoru started.

"Payback from yesterday!" Ichigo lied.

_**I didn't have anything else for this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! I don't have much to say but thanks for reading! Make sure to review and I'll see you next chapter! (:**_


End file.
